Even the very act of entering a rehab facility is proving to be troublesome for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. It seems he flew to Chicago last Thursday for that purpose, but turned around and headed back to Canada on the same plane after speaking to US customs officials, reports the Globe and Mail. Did the US bar him from entry? Neither side is saying that exactly, but almost: He “was not denied entry, per se," says Canada's consul general, adding that Ford "voluntarily withdrew his application to enter the USA."
A spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection says the agency doesn't comment on individual cases, but tells the AP via email that applicants must "overcome ALL grounds of inadmissibility," including criminality and documentation requirements. So where is Ford now? "For the one-millionth time, Rob Ford is in a rehabilitation program," his brother told the media today, though he wouldn't say where. "No one in Toronto cares about where he is, they are concerned about him getting rehab." But at least one city councillor begs to differ. Given his history, Ford doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt and should inform the city where he is and how long he'll be there, Giorgio Mammoliti tells the Toronto Sun. "Right now nobody in this city believes him and trusts him on any of this." (More Rob Ford stories.)